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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

orulz — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:45:14 +0000

cowboy_wilhelm, on 23 January 2012 - 04:21 PM, said:

What is the eventual goal of the SEHSR between Raleigh and Charlotte? Complete grade separation and 110 mph? Or is that just planned for the Raleigh-Richmond S-Line?

To the best of my knowledge, complete separation is not in the cards for the NCRR. They may drastically reduce the number of crossings but I don't think they're really considering complete separation. Furthermore, 90mph is probably "it" for the NCRR since it's curvy and because of Norfolk Southern's demand that any passenger trains faster than 90mph be on a dedicated track.

NCDOT has on their very long-term (2050) plans a 150mph line more or less on a straight line from Raleigh to Charlotte (borrowing portions of the ACWR line) which would have to be fully grade separated. Any true high-speed electrified line from Washington through Raleigh to Charlotte and Atlanta would probably follow this route.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

cowboy_wilhelm — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:36:37 +0000

ERJ170, on 20 January 2012 - 07:54 PM, said:

Quick Question.. is there any way NCRR can make the line between RGH and CLT closed so that the speed can be increased to a higher speed level? I know they are double tracking it, but is that enough considering the line has to share with freight. Should it be triple tracked with a dedicated freight line and closed so the Piedmont can potentially get up to 125mp? When I traveled the rail line in Barcelona, it was completely closed and it really MOVED! It would be nice if something like that could happen on the NCRR line... just a thought..

mallguy, on 20 January 2012 - 08:04 PM, said:

Yes, it could be closed off (assuming you mean eliminating grade crossings).

Diesel locomotives, however, can go only 110 mph or so, so to get up to 125 mph, the line would have to be electrified, with catenary and new locomotives EDITED TO ADD and new passenger cars, as the ones that NC uses probably aren't certified for 125-mph travel. I don't see that happening.

ERJ170, on 20 January 2012 - 08:43 PM, said:

Then I say we go up to 100mph with the current equipment. That should be able to shave some time of the trip and make the time better than driving.. Just a thought..

Well, the Northeast Regional rolling stock in the Carolinian consist are used on the electrified NEC up to 125 mph. Not sure about the Piedmont equipment, though. Anything faster than that would require new rolling stock.

Really, the cost/benefit ratio is best for using conventional diesel equipment and coaches at 110 mph. Most bang for your buck. Electrifying for anything less than 150 mph isn't worth it, because not enough time is saved to warrant the additional costs (or relatively low ridership along the corridor, compared to more populated regions).

Even at that, the 110 mph SEHSR corridor is estimated to average 85-87 mph after full implementation, which is faster than the 70 mph average for the 150 mph Acela Express service. Just sayin'.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

cowboy_wilhelm — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:21:09 +0000

What is the eventual goal of the SEHSR between Raleigh and Charlotte? Complete grade separation and 110 mph? Or is that just planned for the Raleigh-Richmond S-Line?

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Tolls on I-95?

cowboy_wilhelm — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:23:11 +0000

Environmental Assessment Approved for I-95 Improvements

The following recommendations have been made in the EA:

• Widen I-95 to eight lanes (four lanes in each direction) from Exit 31 to Exit 81;

• Widen the remaining sections of I-95 to six lanes (three lanes in each direction);

• Make necessary repairs to pavement;

• Raise and rebuild bridges;

• Improve interchanges; and

• Bring I-95 up to current safety standards for interstates.

The total cost for making these improvements to I-95 is $4.4 billion. Current funding only covers about 10 percent of the costs of these improvements. In order to cover the cost of the improvements, the EA recommends tolling the interstate.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

orulz — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:46:28 +0000

NCDOT is already working on a plan to close many, though not all of the grade crossings on the NCRR throughout the state. Some of the double-tracking projects funded by ARRA will include closing a lot of crossings. Notably, if I recall correctly, every single grade crossing on the NCRR in Mecklenburg will be closed or separated.

Other projects, called Traffic Separation Studies (TSS), are meant to look at all the crossings in a large area and identify the best treatment at each (Closing, separation, better gates, traffic light synchronization, road changes.) There are major studies in progress right now in Durham and Wake counties and possibly elsewhere in the state. However, this will be a long term goal since the studies are funded but the improvements they recommend are not.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

ERJ170 — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:43:07 +0000

Then I say we go up to 100mph with the current equipment. That should be able to shave some time of the trip and make the time better than driving.. Just a thought..

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

mallguy — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:04:58 +0000

North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

ERJ170 — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:54:17 +0000

North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

Otto — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:32:00 +0000

NCDOT is currently going through the environmental analysis/preliminary design phase of the project. Based off of the requirements of the ARRA funding, the project must be completed by September 2017. It is a very complex project and NCDOT is working its way through the process.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

ajfunder — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Does anybody know when the interchange (NS mainline and O-line bridged over CSX line in ditch) in Uptown Charlotte will be bult to eliminate the CSX-NS diamond. I know they have funding, it is a fairly large and expensive project but it is crucial to the Gateway station project and Red Line project. I can't wait until you can board a train in center city Charlotte instead of that ugly and cramped building they attempt to call a train station.
Alex

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Latest census estimates for NC MSA's

DCMetroRaleigh — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:26:24 +0000

I am anxious to see the 2011 MSA estimates.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

burt — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:45:43 +0000

Raleigh is the only station between Washington and Miami that has a private waiting area for Silver Service sleeping car passengers (Silver Star) according to the current Amtrak Atlantic Coast Service schedule.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

kermit — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:36:24 +0000

There is a nice editorial in the NandO on the potential of the new Raleigh station:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/01/08/1758486/moving-people-boosting-the-buzz.html

Sample quote:

Quote

A key goal would be to replace and upgrade the current, cramped Amtrak station on Cabarrus Street. That station is simply not up to snuff for handling the load from eight daily passenger trains - a load that has made Raleigh a busier stop than Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando or Miami.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/01/08/1758486/moving-people-boosting-the-buzz.html#storylink=cpy

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Census: North Carolina surges to 9,656,401 residents

DCMetroRaleigh — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:42:35 +0000

Texas gained more people than any other state during this period, followed by California, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Combined, these five states accounted for slightly more than half the nation’s total population growth.

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Census: North Carolina surges to 9,656,401 residents

DCMetroRaleigh — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:13:00 +0000

It is remarkable that NC continues to gain more people than all but four states despite a historic recession that has slowed immigration throughout the nation and internationally, and NC has the fourth highest unemployment rate in the country. At this rate, NC will exceed 10 million people by 2015 even with a lower growth rate. It reflects just how desireable of a place NC is to live when its growth does not depend on a robust economy.

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Census: North Carolina surges to 9,656,401 residents

DCMetroRaleigh — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:34:19 +0000

City and county populations will be released later this year.

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Census: North Carolina surges to 9,656,401 residents

Temeteron — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:41:32 +0000

DCMetroRaleigh, on 24 December 2011 - 03:08 PM, said:

North Carolina has remained among the fastest-growing states in the nation during the economic downturn, adding an estimated 121,000 residents in the 15 months that ended in July, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.The state had an estimated 9,656,401 residents on July 1, or 1.3 percent more than the decennial census count on April 1, 2010. The nation's population grew 0.9 percent during that time, the slowest growth rate since the mid-1940s, the census bureau reported Wednesday. Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/12/22/1726448/state-still-among-fastest-growing.html#storylink=cpy

]]

Wow! That's amazing news! Do they have the population info for the city of Charlotte??

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Sears considering relocating headquarters to North Carolina

NCMike1981 — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:45:58 +0000

Here's the latest closing list:

http://searsholdings.com/about/122711_close.pdf

looks like NC will be losing Sears stores in High Point, Statesville, Rocky Mount and Moorehead City

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Sears considering relocating headquarters to North Carolina

kermit — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:29:59 +0000

The Sears obituary is continuing to trickle out of the business press:

Quote

Holiday Sales Woes Cast Cloud Over Sears

Sales at stores open at least 12 months have slid every year since the company was created by the well-known hedge-fund investor in 2005. But its deteriorating condition has accelerated this year—it posted a $421 million loss last quarter—and it said Tuesday that same-store sales for the eight weeks ending Christmas Day dropped 5.2% compared to the year before......

http://online.wsj.co...sNewsCollection

EDIT: Sorry, I missed the above post before I typed.

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Sears considering relocating headquarters to North Carolina

dbull75 — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:31:33 +0000

Proof that North Carolina and other states were lucky enough that Sears didn't move from Illinois. 100-120 Sears/Kmart stores will close: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/sears-close-100-120-kmart-sears-stores-113133071.html

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Census: North Carolina surges to 9,656,401 residents

DCMetroRaleigh — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 21:08:57 +0000

North Carolina has remained among the fastest-growing states in the nation during the economic downturn, adding an estimated 121,000 residents in the 15 months that ended in July, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.The state had an estimated 9,656,401 residents on July 1, or 1.3 percent more than the decennial census count on April 1, 2010. The nation's population grew 0.9 percent during that time, the slowest growth rate since the mid-1940s, the census bureau reported Wednesday.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/12/22/1726448/state-still-among-fastest-growing.html#storylink=cpy

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

orulz — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:19:41 +0000

I've seen Piedmont consists as long as 5 coaches and as short as 2. This was before they started the midday train, though. They certainly do add and remove cars but I'm not sure how much leeway they have to do so now that they have to maintain two trainsets.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

kermit — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:43:04 +0000

Thanks Orulz!

My return trip to Charlotte on the midday Piedmont today was also _crazy_ crowded (with three coaches plus the baggage / lounge car). It makes me wonder, does NCDOT have the ability to add / drop rolling stock in Raleigh as demand requires or are they currently stuck with fixed consists?

Crowds like today make me think that ridership is going to really explode on the route if we _ever_ get a downtown Charlotte station.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

thetrick — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:52:53 +0000

Is there a time line or schedule or some way to know what is coming with the ARRA projects? All I can find is the project list on the NCDOT site, but no dates or the current status of the project.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

orulz — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:44:54 +0000

kermit, on 21 December 2011 - 03:42 PM, said:

Anyone know what is happening at the High Point station? It looks like they are moving a retaining wall and -possibly- adding a third track.

FWIW: the mid-day northbound train was VERY crowded today. There was also a surprising amount of short-distance traffic (e.g. Clt-Kannapolis, Kannapolis-Salisbury and Greensboro-Burlington all had traffic)

This is an ARRA project. This will add parking spaces along the south side of the tracks between the station and Elm street. It will also result in a longer platform that would serve a third track (if it existed) but no third track will be installed, at least not as a part of this project.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

kermit — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:42:02 +0000

North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

ERJ170 — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 05:47:28 +0000

So, I was checking out the Amtrak site and saw they were looking to start thru coach service Wilson-Greenville-Kinston-New Bern- Havelock-Wilmington and Wilson-Goldsboro-Wallace-Wilmington. I say interesting, but if there is feasibility for coach service, I would think NC would say "hey, there should be feasibility for rail service". Second of all, I think I would rather see the service at Selma since it allows connection to Raleigh and Charlotte..

So, if the coaches meet in Wilson, you can get on the Silver lines and Palmetto, I believe..

If you get through Selma, you can get on the Silver lines, Palmetto, and Piedmont.. more options, right?

I'm still a fan of rail service to the beach and believe it should meet up with the Piemont and be called the Crystal Coast Service (2x daily with 3 coach and 1 vending/sundry car - Raleigh to Morehead City) and the Blackbeard Service (2x daily with 3 coaches and 1 vending/baggage - Raleigh to Little Washington).

But I digress...

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

mallguy — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:39:04 +0000

NJ Transit has bi-level cars that are used on both low-level and high-level platforms--they just have multiple sets of doors and only some work on each type of platform. And Amtrak's Amfleet, Viewliner and Heritage Fleet cars currently run between Charlotte and DC AND in the Northeast, with high-level platforms. The same equipment can run on both.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

cowboy_wilhelm — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:29:05 +0000

orulz, on 06 December 2011 - 10:34 AM, said:

First, with the proposed track configuration, freight trains must pass by on the platform tracks for the SEHSR (S-line) platform. The H-line platform is off the mainline. It might be possible to find a configuration that would keep freight off the platform tracks, but it would probably have some other limitation or require reconfiguring the Norfolk-Southern line to Fayetteville, which they will not entertain.

Second, there's a possibility that the SEHSR will actually use low platform rolling stock, Though I'd rather it doesn't since that precludes through-running past Washington.

That's what I was thinking, issues with freight sharing the same tracks as the platform.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

orulz — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:34:25 +0000

cowboy_wilhelm, on 03 December 2011 - 02:23 PM, said:

I went back over this, and saw the proposed H-Line platform (Piedmont, Carolinian, Silver Star [assuming the latter two continue going through Rocky Mount]) will be a high platform, which is great for faster boarding times. However, the proposed S-Line platform for SEHSR is a low platform. I wonder why? You'd think high platforms would be preferred for SEHSR.

North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

cowboy_wilhelm — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:23:12 +0000

orulz, on 31 October 2011 - 10:46 AM, said:

Here is a document (pdf) that shows how the Viaduct Building in the center of the Raleigh wye could be modified into a train station. Looks pretty interesting. The main entrance to the station would be from a pedestrian plaza at the end of Martin Street, where pedestrians could walk under the tracks. The vehicular entrance for buses and cars would be from a southward extension of West Street.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is expanding again

krazeeboi — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 12:03:23 +0000

dbull75, on 30 November 2011 - 10:31 AM, said:

Same could be said about Charlotte and schools like VA Tech, UNC and Clemson. All within reasonsable driving distance and lots of their fans live here. You would know that since you used to live here

Well it's more than just about the presence of fans; Athens is only a few years away from literally being included in the Atlanta MSA/CSA as it is directly borders the metro area. There's quite a bit of spatial separation between Charlotte and VA Tech, Clemson, and UNC by comparison. But like I said, Atlanta is technically neutral territory. Jacksonville and Tampa are truly neutral though.

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The Atlantic Coast Conference is expanding again

dbull75 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:31:48 +0000

krazeeboi, on 30 November 2011 - 08:56 AM, said:

And Atlanta's not really all that neutral for the SEC with Athens only being about a hour east; there are tons upon tons of Bulldog fans in Atlanta. But in a technical sense, it's a neutral site since there are no SEC schools in Atlanta proper.

Same could be said about Charlotte and schools like VA Tech, UNC and Clemson. All within reasonsable driving distance and lots of their fans live here. You would know that since you used to live here

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

kermit — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:54:09 +0000

^ It looked like the NCRR row was being surveyed today in Newell (about a mile north of Junker). Perhaps this is the start of dirt turning?

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The Atlantic Coast Conference is expanding again

krazeeboi — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:56:45 +0000

dbull75, on 30 November 2011 - 06:57 AM, said:

Conference championship games for football are either at the team with the best in-conference record (see Pac-12 or Conf USA) or at a neutral site such as Charlotte (ACC), Indianapolis (Big 10), Atlanta (SEC), etc.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is expanding again

dbull75 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:57:41 +0000

^One of the reasons the ACC Football championship is hosted in Charlotte (and previously Tampa and Jacksonville) is because it's considered a "neutral" field. Conference championship games for football are either at the team with the best in-conference record (see Pac-12 or Conf USA) or at a neutral site such as Charlotte (ACC), Indianapolis (Big 10), Atlanta (SEC), etc. With the success of the ACC football game in Charlotte, not many people see the conference championship being played elsewhere for a while. They are supposed to make a recommendation on future sites next month I believe. As far as basketball goes, the ACC has an agreement in place over the next several years to host it in Greensboro mostly and Atlanta on occasion. Charlotte isn't currently slated to have the tournament. I think you underestimate the number of ACC fans in other parts of the Carolinas as well. There are easily just as many in Greensboro and Charlotte as there are in the Raleigh-Durham area.

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The Atlantic Coast Conference is expanding again

ERJ170 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:56:18 +0000

Question.. with CLT hosting the ACC football tournament and in line to potentially host the Basketball tournament, is it time to look at hosting one or the other in the Raleigh-Durham area? I mean, CLT has no ACC affiliated school whatsoever and making some big bucks off it. Greensboro is ACC HQ so I can understand that. But the triangle is home to 2 of the top schools in the conference (+ State) and doesn't get to hold any of the tournament.. Is it time for Raleigh and Durham to pony up to push for the ACC tournament?

Just wondering because at least in the RTP area, fans from all across the state can make it to the tournament without having to drive trans-state..

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Casinos all over North Carolina?

Lee street bully — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:18:10 +0000

cityboi, on 29 November 2011 - 07:01 AM, said:

Gov Perdue signs Cherokee gaming expansion deal which would allow live table gambling. This move also opens the door to native american run casinos opening across the state even in urban cities such as Charlotte or Greensboro.

http://www.news-reco...64/entry/132744

Wow, so they actually went through with it! So what exactly does this mean for the major cities of NC? I only saw them talking about live table gambling, but I didn't see the other commercial gambling games(slot machines, etc). Do you know if this plan will include the commercial gambling we see in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New Orleans, etc.

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Casinos all over North Carolina?

cityboi — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:01:17 +0000

Macy's out, Belk in at Wilmington's Mayfaire

DigitalSky — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:04:27 +0000

Just out of curiosity, whatever happened to Autumn Hall

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

Otto — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:42:03 +0000

NCDOT has intiated websites for two of the ARRA funded projects. These are two of five capacity improvement projects that are part of the Piedmont Improvement Program which runs between Raleigh and Charlotte. These two projects will add over 20 miles of second mainline track between Charlotte and Raleigh. When a third project between Lexington and Thomasville is constructed, it will result in a over 92 miles of continuous double track mainline between Greensboro and Charlotte.

There are two other projects that will construct sidings between Graham and Haw River (10,000 ft) and between I-40 and Morrisville (3.8 miles). All of these capacity projects will facilitate (in the near future) two additional Piedmont round trips between Raleigh and Charlotte and in the not so distant future SEHSR trains.

.
http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/RailHaydockJunker/

http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/RailReidKannapolis/

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

cowboy_wilhelm — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:50:15 +0000

I meant there was no Wi-Fi service in southern Virginia the times I checked (ended up watching a movie instead).

I'm not sure about Charlotte to Raleigh WiFi; boarded in Raleigh.

We departed Raleigh half an hour late due to the late northbound Silver Star arriving when the Carolinian was scheduled to arrive (10:20ish). Made up time in Virginia and was back on schedule from Washington north.

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The Atlantic Coast Conference is expanding again

DCMetroRaleigh — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 15:03:31 +0000

Will be awesome to have a NC school in the Big East. It will be awesome for increasing ECU's profile, especially in major media markets.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

burt — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:40:01 +0000

Well, you're sorta right, Cowboy. Virginia's lack of participation in improving rails is holding back rapid service from North Carolina to the Northeast.

On the other hand, 22 Amtrak trains (24, if you include The Auto Train) operate north/south on the two main lines (N/S and CSX) plus numerous VRE commuter trains in and out of D.C.

As far as comfort services are concerned almost all Amtrak trains carry business and coach class cars while the Silver Service and Crescent provide sleepers and full diners.

But the freight lines rule the rails resulting in many delays for passenger service in The Commonwealth.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

kermit — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:52:09 +0000

^ so there is service between CLT and Raleigh?

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

cowboy_wilhelm — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:14:01 +0000

Posting this from the northbound Carolinian.

Virginia sucks and has no service.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

kdub1 — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:44:45 +0000

mallguy, on 06 October 2011 - 06:10 PM, said:

Sorry, but not understanding why. Both are longish-distance trains. There is capacity on both trains for more passengers.

I'm basing this on what Amtrak does to long-distance trains in the Northeast. Northbound trains between DC and NYC only stop to discharge passengers while southbound trains only stop to receive passengers between the two cities. There is deep suspicion that Amtrak does this to keep Northeastern passengers off the long-distance trains and to use the less sleek Regional trains. It's also based on three assumptions: SEHSR is fully implemented, mass transit plans along the NCRR corridor happen, and the Carolinian is not extended to Columbia. It doesn't make sense, but it's the way that some with Amtrak feel.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

cowboy_wilhelm — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 02:47:35 +0000

kermit, on 01 November 2011 - 07:43 AM, said:

Amtrak has announced that free wifi is now up and running on the Carolinian:

http://www.facebook....7&id=9411224013

If NCDOT can now find the cash to get it running on the Piedmont trains public's view of the utility of our corridor service may improve dramatically.

(I think the cost for wifi on the Piedmonts was $200,000 if I remember the last round of ARRA reallocation applications correctly)

Awesome! Just in time for my trip.

I wonder why it says New York to Raleigh/Cary, though? No WiFi from Raleigh to Charlotte (awaiting ARRA funding for Piedmont WiFi)?

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World city rank chart.

Euphorius — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:26:12 +0000

On the list from 2008 Charlotte was on the High Sufficiency list and Raleigh was on the Sufficiency list. Charlotte jumped two categories in just 2 years.

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World city rank chart.

Gard — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:25:33 +0000

Pretty Neat. I think it's great that the state's two largest metros made it into the rankings! I have no doubt that both Charlotte and Raleigh will continue to move up on the list. It appears that Raleigh is almost to Gamma -

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World city rank chart.

Kenneth Disraili-Jean — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:40:18 +0000

Since Atlanta and Charlotte have female names, I think it would be a trip if many of these other cities had to say, "Ladies First, please let them pass through the line." Then we would be boosted up into the Alpha+ cities, j/k, but you can always dream!!

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

mallguy — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:53:47 +0000

Metro-North and NJ Transit use push-pull equipment for their locomotive-hauled trains. The coach on the other end of the train has an operator's cab at the end rather than a passenger vestibule and door; it can probably be re-manufactured from an existing coach. ETA: the Downeaster doesn't have a powered locomotive at each end of the train; one is a "cabbage" car, which is an F40PH that has had the motor removed and has a baggage compartment in its place, together with the operator's cab.

Push-pull is probably easier to deal with than even a wye, since you don't have to turn the train around at all.

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World city rank chart.

Lee street bully — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:40:17 +0000

Kenneth Disraili-Jean, on 01 November 2011 - 09:00 AM, said:

Do you have any idea what they mean by "High Sufficiency", and "Sufficiency?" I Would love to see a Southeastern U.S. city make it into Alpha or Alpha +, but it seems there is a lot of competition in the Alpha + cities to move up a notch to Alpha ++. I am amazed at how fast Charlotte has zipped through the Gamma cities, way to go. Now if we can just punch it up a couple levels in the Alpha cities, I think I can settle with that. Atlanta and Miami have always been the powerhorses of the Southeast, but if things continue at the pace they are going, Charlotte may end up becoming the third largest metropolis in the Southeast, and as the nations second center of banking which counts a lot in the world rankings, Atlanta and Miami may just welcome Charlotte into the Alpha world cities. So that will be just fine. Charlotte is trying way to hard to be what it already is: the second largest banking center in the United Sates, plenty of Fortune Corporations, a great light-rail system that is constantly expanding. So I see at least Atlanta and Charlotte with a bright future ahead. As for Miami, you just never know. Right now they have so many empty condo towers, it is staggering. Another important thing, we should support our Southeastern Major World Cities, in the progress they make, and not let the jealousy factor set in. The last thing we need is one Southeastern city bashing another. So if we exclude Florida, Atlanta and Charlotte certainly dominate the Southeastern United States. So way to go Atlanta and Charlotte!! BTW many of us down here in Atlanta call Charlotte our "little sister", but she has grown up into an adult now, and they say Atlanta is the "Crown Jewel of the South," and now I guess Charlotte is the "Queen of the South"

I DEFINITELY agree with the bolded, as well as the rest of your post . After seeing cities like Richmond VA, Omaha NE, Birmingham AL, Rochester NY and Memphis, I was actually hoping to see my city(Greensboro) on the list, but I didn't see it. I wasnt expecting it to be too high, but if it was ranked as Sufficient, I would've been VERY happy about that. But when I saw Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta and Miami rankings I was thrilled! So I'm happy overall, epically for the fact that TWO North Carolina cities are on the chart. And to answer your question about the the rankings, I'm really not sure what they mean by Sufficiency and High Sufficiency. I think they just mean that those cities are just strong enough to be acknowledged by worldwide standards IMO.

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

ERJ170 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:09:39 +0000

rooster8, on 31 October 2011 - 07:43 PM, said:

If it makes you feel any better, it appears Amtrak feels Morehead City is a desirable location for motor coach service: Study of planned Amtrak service 'postive'

I haven't seen any additional news beyond that article from June, but hopefully this will be the start of something for the folks of Morehead, New Bern, and Greenville (and other eastern cities in the future).

Motorcoach is okay, but that's a LONG motorcoach route. I still believe that there is potential for up to 2 daily, 4 car service (push-pull so no yard is needed at the MHC end). I know several people who have taken the train, but the trek to Rocky Mount, Wilson, and Selma from Eastern NC is too long by car just to get to the train station.. There should be a train that meets with a Northbound NYC train and a train to meet with a Southbound Florida train. Also, one of those trains should also allow to meet up with the Piedmont to allow Westerly travel..

kermit, on 01 November 2011 - 07:50 AM, said:

Push-pull could account for the Asheville, Greenville, and Wilmington service.. would not need a yard if you can just have the engineer walk from one end of the train to the other and take the train back to Raleigh or Charlotte..

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World city rank chart.

Kenneth Disraili-Jean — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:00:46 +0000

North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

kermit — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:50:24 +0000

orulz, on 31 October 2011 - 10:46 AM, said:

One of the bullets in the presentation was that the Piedmont trains will become 'push-pull.' As I understand the term this will mean an engine at each end of the train. I have seen this done on the Downeaster and understand that this makes turn-around easier I am curious about two things:

1) Has NCDOT planned for this additional equipment? How much might this increase operating expenses.

2) Why? A Y is available in Raleigh and one is planned at Charlotte gateway? What utility does this strategy add that makes it worth the cost?

On a related note, the afternoon Piedmont has been pulled by Amtrak power over the past month or so -- anyone know what happened to the NCDOT power?

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

kermit — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:43:10 +0000

Amtrak has announced that free wifi is now up and running on the Carolinian:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&¬e_id=10150344547176127&id=9411224013

If NCDOT can now find the cash to get it running on the Piedmont trains public's view of the utility of our corridor service may improve dramatically.

(I think the cost for wifi on the Piedmonts was $200,000 if I remember the last round of ARRA reallocation applications correctly)

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rooster8 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:43:15 +0000

The Atlantic Coast Conference is expanding again

ERJ170 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:14:09 +0000

On a related note, looks like the Governor and US State Senators sent notification to the Big East that they would like ECU seriously considered for admission. It will be interesting to see what happens. Although ECU is looking for a larger conference, I fear that the Big East may start to become insignificant. (I could be wrong so don't get on me). Anyway, if ECU gets admittance, it should be allowed until PITT and Syracuse are allowed to leave the Big East...

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/31/1610414/perdue-burr-hagan-rally-for-pirates.html

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North Carolina Intercity Rail Transit

ERJ170 — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:30:37 +0000

Also, just to add on.. they need to have at least 2 shops and 1 eatery, plus an on-site rental car counter at the least... with a bus that can take you to their lot.. I'm just saying.. If I'm coming by train, I want to be able to either catch a cab or metro to my hotel/residence.. OR be able to get a rental car on-site.. the train station should function very much like RDU.. and to add to above, if not a full hotel..then at least a hostel or yotel where you have pods for sleeping..

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